ALLOWANCE SOUGHT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18255, 25 November 1933, Page 5

ALLOWANCE SOUGHT

OPPOSITION LEADER REQUEST BY MEMBERS

MANY DUTIES INVOLVED

( Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The only official recognition of the Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand is the grant of a small allowance for secretarial assistance during the session. It ceases on the day the session closes.

This position was discussed by several members of the Opposition when the estimates were under review in the House yesterday. They demonstrated that the Leader of the Opposition has tin immense correspondence and that he was obliged to give a good deal of attention to it in the national interest.

Sir Apirana Ngata, Minister in charge of the Legislative Departments, explained that the allowance for secretarial assistance had formerly been His 3d a day during the session, but had been recently increased to £l.

“Is it proposed,," he asked, “that the Leader of the Opposition should be provided with a private secretary?” “Yes,” replied several Labor members.

Sir Apirana: With a travelling allowance and railway privileges?

“Yes, the stunt! its Ministers' secretaries,” replied Labor ttnemhers. “Well, that is 1 lie hall propo.si tion,” commented l lie Minister. “I will submit that to my colleagues.” This reply was received with satisfaction by the Oppositionists, and Mr. W. Nash (Lab. Hutt) remarked that, m Australia the allowance to Leaders of the Opposition varied from £20(1 to .C.StitJ per annum. He had suggested that in addition to being provided with a secretary, the Opposition Leader should have something extra to meet the cost of the, large amount of additional work he was-obliged to undertake for public purposes, and the Minister of Finance, he aided, knew this quite well, and that it ought to be done.

Support for the proposal came from a Government member, Mr. E. A. Anscll (Chalmers) who considered that, New Zealand should recognise in some tangible way the responsible position of the Leader of the Opposition. There was no question of party involved. “The occupant of the position,” he concluded, “does something for New Zealand, and New Zealand should do something for him. I quite agree with the suggestion that the Lcadet of the Opposition should receive some consideration over and above that of an ordinary'member of Parliament,.”